"You Can't Get the Quality of Servants..."

Hello... it's Ella again.

Did you realise that I've been in my new home for almost four weeks?  I'm definitely finding my paws now.  Female servant and I chat away all the time.  I'm starting to understand more human words.  I came to Jan's house only understanding 'Cat, fish, food and Dreamie'.  Now I also know that 'Ella',' biscuit and 'come on' generally mean something good is going to happen.  I'm pretending that I've never heard 'No' in my life!  Jan has also started to recognise my meows.... particularly the little one that I do in my throat just before I do something cheeky!!

 

Here I am helping female servant tidy the 'back bedroom of doom'.  You can see from my expression that I was appalled by the chaos in this room.  No wonder she keeps the door closed....

 

 

I love playing in cupboards.  Here I am in the bottom of the wardrobe in the back bedroom.  I found a sparkly dress behind this long blue coat and couldn't resist patting it in the darkness...

 

On Tuesday - while I took a morning nap in the sun on the servants bed - Jan went to Tewksbury Abbey.  'Purrsonally' I can't see why any sane person would want to visit an ancient building like that in freezing temperatures, but even I can see that some of the photos came out quite well.

 

She met up with long term friends (also ex-teachers) and had a really good natter about everything.  There's also been quite a few people pop round for coffee this week.  I still get quite anxious when I see new faces.  I worry that they might be trying to take me away from my new home and I start to do 'alarmed cat' stuff (like going under furniture or getting a claw stuck in the curtains when I'm trying to create a hiding place).  However I'm completely happy with all Jan's pupils... and I LOVE one set of parents who spend the whole lesson playing with me and feeing me Dreamies!

 

Jan says that she thinks I'm doing very well.  On the whole I think she's doing ok too!

 

As the dust settles.....and a bad idea.

This is another 'I don't want to be downstairs without him' post...... Although I've got to admit that the feeling of being punched in the stomach isn't quite so ghastly today.  I know Mark also found getting up and going to work without small feline company a little easier the second time round.  We're getting there...

 

Last night we talked masses about the whole situation. The most unexpected part of the day was that we were contacted through Facebook by a very ex-colleague from my school in Solihull.  She left way before me to work in the Bristol area.  In her message she explained  that her current partner is just about to move in.  He has a lovely-looking black cat called Harry.  Sadly Harry is looking for a new home because my ex-colleague is allergic to cats.  She tells me that he's friendly, laid-back and really good with children, so in many respects he could be an excellent 'third' in our little family.  However he's 12 years old.  That's a bit of a sticking point for us.  I don't think I could take on a new cat who could start to face 'older cat problems' in the relatively near future.

 

Yesterday morning my lovely ex-colleague from Music took me for a distracting 'coffee and cake' and a little bit of light Christmas shopping at the huge new out of town M+S on the south side of Birmingham.  Over the years I've been there for her through some really nasty stuff so I could see that she was keen to 'be there for me' this week.  She's very sweet.

 

Unfortunately, as we parted at the end of the morning, I gave into a very bad idea.....

 

There's a bit of a back story to this bad idea, so please bear with me as I explain.  Our first cat, Gulliver, came to us in 1993 as a mature silver grey tabby.  As his name suggests, he was a stray who came to us on his travels.  He was a lovely character and we were absolutely devastated when he was diagnosed with cancer in March 2003.  All three of us fought a very difficult battle for four weeks then he had to be put to sleep on the Monday before Easter 2003.  This was the first day of my Easter holiday that year.  Against all common sense I decided to start looking for another cat immediately.  (This was based on the fact that I knew that I could either settle a new cat by the end of the two weeks or I'd have to wait until the summer holidays to start the whole process.  It was made worse by the fact that we were going through some bad 'life stuff' at the time too and I felt that we needed the support of a cat in the house.)  You can see where this is going...

 

I found Thomas at Bromsgrove Blue Cross the Tuesday after we'd said goodbye to Gulliver on the Monday.  On Wednesday I went back up to see Thomas again and arranged all the adoption stuff.  On Good Friday he moved in.  We've had loads of amazing years with Thomas, but it has to be said that the first few months were awful and it wasn't his fault.  I remember being so upset with Thomas at times because he wasn't Gulliver in different fur.  It was so silly because Gulliver was reserved but deeply loving... while Thomas was a super-social extrovert over an equally loving core.  It took a lot of time to sort out the general emotional mess.

 

However the net result in November 2017 is that Mark and I have only had three days without a cat in the house since July 1993.  This house (which we moved into when it was newly built in January 1995) has never been left 'alone' because we've always got family/friends in to look after the cat when we've been away.  I'm struggling with this one.............

 

So yesterday afternoon, having said goodbye to my friend in Bromsgrove I drove back up the hill to the Blue Cross centre.  Bearing in mind that the last time I drove the lanes I'd been grieving deeply for Gulliver, this wasn't the best idea on the planet.  It was just as upsetting as you'd imagine but I learnt some useful things about the way cat adoption seems to have changed since 2003.

 

In 2003 I just walked into the centre and through to the cat pens.  I walked up and down, reading about the cats and generally getting a feel for being with a cat who wasn't elderly and ill.  Thomas chose me.  He bounced through the cat flap at the back of the pen and started a complete 'fuss the human and get me out of here' routine.  I didn't want a long-furred mess of a cat with a damaged eye but I was distracted by his crazy personality.  When I went back the next day he sealed the deal with a 'you're back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' routine that cut through all the hurt I was feeling for Gulliver.

 

In 2017 you can't get anywhere near the cats.  Basically you look at mug shots on the computer (even in the waiting room); fill in a 'what kind of cat I'd like' form to help the staff match you to an animal; go into a room with a member of staff and talk about the 'chosen' cat's character etc; THEN you get to meet the one cat that seems to best fit.  I completely understand that this is to minimise stress for the cats but it cuts out the one vital aspect of learning about a new animal.... how they approach you.

 

I left the centre a sadder and wiser woman.

 

Mark spent the afternoon at work (his boss was out of the office!) looking at websites for various different animal sanctuaries across the West Midlands.  It's nice to know that there are still some more traditional places.  However we've also agreed that we need a bit of time and mental space to recover from this week.  Now that I'm based at home we don't have to fit another adoption into the school holidays structure so we can move forward when it feels really right.

 

This weekend we're starting my birthday celebrations.  I'll post about that next week.

Jx

 

You are what you eat..

..and in my father-in-laws case the all the tests show that he has Vitamin B12 deficiency.

All G.'s symptoms - extreme fatigue, irritability, depression, character changes and loss of memory and understanding - have come from his very poor diet.  He's fallen into a cycle of being quite aggressive about avoiding food too.

 

Fortunately, we understand that this can be treated with injections and supplements.

We hope that the injections may trigger his appetite again and there won't be too much long term damage.  (G. ate an entire Weatherspoon's big breakfast AND apple crumble while he was on holiday with us in November, so there's hope!)

 

Mark and P. are also talking regularly, which is keeping the 'bigger picture' of family relationships calmer too.  As a result, I feel a lot less anxious and stressed about this area of our life!

 

It's been a bit of a crazy week though...

- My beloved Series 2 Discovery is ill again.  (Solution - borrow Dad's sporty old Nissan 200SX and enjoy the twin turbos... Woop, woop!)

- I spent four hours at Accident and Emergency yesterday afternoon with a friend who had major heart surgery 18 months ago.  (Outcome - the pain wasn't his heart, just the muscles/bones in the chest cavity... what a relief!)

- Dad's asthma is really bad again and he's spending a lot of time at the doctors. (Positive - he's finally working with a doctor at the surgery who seems prepared to put a more systematic review and long-term action plan in place.  Now I've just got to encourage Dad to be honest about the challenges of being Mum's carer and the correlation between her 'bad days' and his own health)

- We're having the conservatory replaced next week.  I really need to start clearing it...

 

In the meanwhile...

- I want to send niece L. back to uni with some 'pocket warmers'.   I haven't started them yet and I'm having a coffee with her late tomorrow morning.  She goes back on Saturday.  Eeek!

- I'm somewhere over halfway through the lacy knitted scarf that I'm making for my friends birthday... next Tuesday.  Eeek, eek!!!

- I've also been enjoying loads of lovely social chats.  I'm off again in half and hour to pick up the Nissan and drive to Redditch for a gossip with an ex-colleague.

 

How did I find time to work???!

Jx 

 

 

You Gave Me Confidence...!

Ladies - thank you for your comments!

I was going to wear a pair of trousers on Day Four,

but you encouraged me to maintain some 'leg confidence'.

I'm not quite this gorgeous lady....

 

 

but I kept my legs out....

 

Day Four - dressing for a day of practising and pottering, with a couple of hours of piano teaching in the late afternoon.  My favourite day so far - fabric boots with a heel, leggings, an empire-line tunic/dress, light cotton scarf and vintage Coro necklace.  This outfit felt great all day.  I like the way the empire line (especially in a patterned fabric) gives me a bust but skims over problems!

 

Day Five - dressing for coffee and a fabric hunt with my fellow 'craftaholic' and lovely neighbour, some housework and a late afternoon trip round to my parents house.  Flat boots today, leggings, a slightly longer dress, scarf, necklace and 'satchel style' brown leather handbag.  I used to wear this dress to school with a cropped brown jacket.  Without the jacket, it felt comfortable but slightly shapeless....

 

Can I asked your opinion about another thing that's bothering me?

I've worn a scarf pretty much every day of my life for the last 20 years - even draped round the outside of a hoodie!  They are a habit that's developed from the years when I was having major neck issues after a motor-racing accident (another story...!).  My neck is fairly ok nowadays so I don't need the extra warmth and support.  Having looked at these photos, I wonder if they spoil the neckline/shape of the dresses, rather than adding to it.

What do you think?

 

We've got a busy weekend ahead - a lot of travelling around (which would always have been jeans etc. territory), a 40th Birthday party and a meal with my F-in-L.  This is going to take a bit of serious 'clothes consideration'.... Eeek!

I hope that you all have a good weekend too.

Jx

A little bit of vintage.....

In my head I'd like to be on a spectrum between these two wonderful ladies..

Don't you love the way that she her 'look' is complimented by a 'natural' hair colour?

 

 

..and jeans with an oversized jumper just looks so effortlessly chic.

 

 

Unfortunately I'm way heavier, have inherited my Dad's super frizzy hair gene and my Mum's colouring (and I can't afford the stylists), so here's days two and three of 'life without jeans and hoodies'....

 

Day Two - dressing for coffee with my Mum in Worcester and some late afternoon teaching.  I'm wearing a soft denim skirt that's been languishing in my wardrobe for over 12 months and a plain wool jumper.  I tried to pull it together with the scarf and an antique style necklace (that I found in Bournemouth years ago).  I think the photo looks quite nice but I didn't feel comfy when I was working in such a thick top (my age - you know!!)

 

Day Three - dressing for coffee with a friend at the local garden centre, harp practice and several hours of internet admin.  I'm wearing a jersey dress that's easily five years old, a jacket that's close to it's second decade and a vintage peach enamel necklace from the 1950s.  Normally I wear a black jacket when I wear this dress but I wanted to go for a softer and more casual look.  My friend (and the girl on the counter in the coffee shop) immediately noticed and commented on my necklace.  This outfit was far more comfortable but I'm starting to wonder if I look a bit 'leggy' in heeled boots and leggings?

 

What have I learnt so far?

Don't wear thick tops for teaching piano in a centrally heated house - it only generates an unattractive 'glow'.  People notice my vintage necklaces and I have MASSES - organise them and wear them!  I may achieve a slighter more 'chic' look if I rethink the leggings and boots.... (Oh dear - I LIKE leggings and boots!)

 

Thanks for all your comments on my last post.

Continued thoughts, comments and tips would be really appreciated!!

Jx

Presents and Plans

I'm definitely "time rich and cash poor" at the moment, so I'm digging deep into my crafting skills to make as many presents as possible.  I made this bag on Tuesday afternoon (when it was pelting down with rain here in Worcestershire).

 

 

Then I made a second bag in a different colour-way yesterday afternoon.  (I am in a group of three friends who all have birthdays in November - so we always meet up for a joint celebration and swap presents at some stage in the month.)

 

The material is a really lovely quality with attractive details in the leaves.   I bought it from a clearance bin in a interior design shop in Hereford.  Each piece of material was about 34 inches long and 16 inches wide, so I've got some useful pieces left over from these projects.  I think I paid about £8.00 for five pieces - so the bags have cost me less than £2.00 each (plus lots of love, time and cursing over pricked fingers!!!!)

 

With the benefit of hind-sight I wish that I'd picked up more pieces... but I was in the early days of developing my fabric stash and didn't recognise the potential.  However, I've got the same design in a pretty blue colour-way which may be nice for my Mum for Mother's Day.  The other two pieces are a kind of bold stripy deck chair design.

 

Thank you for all your suggestions for Saturday night. 

You really kick-started my creative juices and I'm now having loads of fun with my plans.

Here's the provisional menu...

 

Golden Peach Cocktails

~

Glowing golden autumn vegetable soup

~

Cold Roast meats

and a selection of hot and cold 'sides' including

Roast Veg with Double Gloucester Cheese

Lightly curried potato salad etc

~

"Climb Every Mountain" dessert (a profiterole pyramid)

Golden fruit pie

A lemon syllabub

~

a 'Golden' cheeseboard

 

I've got loads of autumnal coloured tea light holders to dress the table and a vase for some yellow flowers.  I've also decided to develop the expedition aspect of the award by giving each guest a placemat that's personalised with a section of OS map of significance to them.  H. will get a map of the area that she walked in; I. will get a map of the area of north wales where her best friend lives; B-in-Law will get a map of an area of the Lake District where he went open water swimming for the first time this summer... and so on!  Hopefully it will work...

 

Fortunately I've only got a couple of pupils in the next few days so I should be able to organise this in a 'calm and measured manner'!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Jx

Happy Times..

At 12.00 on Saturday 18th August 1990 Mark and I got married at St Lawrence's Church, North Hinksey, Oxford.  Last Sunday the whole family got together and we all took a joint trip down memory lane to celebrate our Silver Wedding.  St Lawrence's is a tiny medieval church that is normally locked, so I organised with the vicar that we could pop in at the end of the morning service.

 

Mark and I re-enacted the 'Standing in the Church Doorway' photos..

 

Hmmmm - Here's the original..

(I definitely wasn't going to recreate the 1990s perm for the event!!)

 

 

Then we all walked a hundred metres or so down the lane to the pub (The Fishes at North Hinksey).  This was where Mark and I, and my sister and her friends, did most of our socialising in the late-80s.  It's become very popular again recently because it has a large, informal, river-side garden with lots of deck-chairs and traditional garden games.  They provide picnic hampers for groups who want to continue the informal theme... but we were lucky enough to be given a table on the veranda.

The weather was perfect for eating outside on Sunday afternoon - warm enough to be comfortable but not too hot for those people with their backs to the sun.

 

In this photo you can see (from L to R)

- younger niece (I), older niece (H), Mark and I, and Mark's brother (P).

 

 

In this photo you can see (L to R)

- P's partner's son, Mark's Dad, P's partner, my Dad and Mum, and my Sister's Husband

 

I decided months ago that I didn't want a big party for our Silver Wedding and this family lunch worked out perfectly.  My family and Mark's family haven't really met socially since my family moved away from Oxford shortly after our wedding - so everyone was on their 'best behaviour' and made the most of the time to catch up.

 

This evening Mark and I are going to have a quiet meal together.  I've splashed out and bought us some steak (which we never cook at home normally) and we'll have it with some herby new potatoes and salad.  I've also sorted chocolate mouse with fresh rasberries for pudding.  Mark's brother gave us a bottle of champagne at the weekend which I think we'll open too.

 

It's Mark's 49th Birthday tomorrow too - so he may well open his presents from me this evening.  It will be a lot more chilled than trying to do anything at 6.00 in the morning and we have more family and friends coming round tomorrow night.  (Celebrations are a little bit like buses in our household... you have to wait ages for them then loads come along at once.  Yesterday was a close friends birthday, Saturday will be another friends 35th wedding anniversary, then we have both my parents' and Mark's Dad's birthdays over two days at the beginning of September)

 

Other news... my older niece (H) got two As and a B at A level last week.  We are all very proud- because the last 18 months have been a bit of a disaster for her in several ways.  She wasn't in a position to apply to uni last year, so she's going to take a year out then apply for a nursing degree.  She hopes to work for 8 months then travel to South Africa to see relative's on her father's side of the family.

 

It also occurred to me that you may wish to hear a little about my continued progress through 'Great Escape', as 'phony retirement' (aka Six Weeks paid Summer Holidays) ends and real life outside the classroom starts on September 1st!  This probably deserves a post of it's own in the next couple of days..

Nice Stuff... for Free

.1. Walks with my camera and dramatic distant views.

.2. Sunny mornings in the conservatory (with a book from 'Books for Free' in Droitwich.)

.3. Kind teenagers, who still hold doors open and genuinely care.

.4. A couple of hours chatting quietly with a very ill friend.

.5. Designing the first of a few personalised leaving presents for the colleagues who really matter.

.6. Some fabulous quality and condition 1960s fabric from my Great-Aunt's stash

(in a bag of fabric from my Mum last weekend)

.7. Kind words from Parents at the recent concerts.

.8. Cuddles from Husband... and Cat

.9. The prospect of a Bank Holiday weekend...!

 

To be honest, I'm a bit tired and fed up at the moment.

Mark is being an absolute rock...

I do love him!!!!!

Jx

A little bit of vintage style..

This weekend ...'Cinders' went to a Ball!!

Ladies... here is my 'frugal' vintage outfit for the evening...

The dress was Roman Originals clearance 18 months ago - I paid £15 for it.

The jacket was Alexon clearance 10 years ago

 

 

In this rather severe-looking 'selfie' you can see my jewellery a bit more clearly.

My earrings are 1950s vintage from a little stall in Stratford upon Avon

(a couple of pounds because no-one else buys screw or clip earrings nowadays....).

My necklace is also 1950s from a market stall in London in 2003

(in the days before vintage was stylish and this sort of thing was seriously cheap).

 

This bracelet is one of my prized vintage possessions...

It's an American Coro design from the 1960s.  I bought it on e-bay for a couple of pounds.

The bag is from the 1940s.  I found it in a vintage clothes shop in Welshpool last August.

Mark bought it for me as Christmas present and I often take it out in the evenings.

(It looks amazing with one of those £10 Primark dresses, heavier vintage jewellery, a little black jacket, black leggings and boots)

 

 

We went to a 'Summer Ball' in the function suite at Worcester Cricket Ground.

There were about 150 people there so the event raised £1900.00 for the local cancer hospice.

It was great fun catching up with people that we haven't seen for a while.. and getting to know a few new people too.

 

I've got to admit that I was shattered this morning though...

I'm not great at late nights really...!

Jx

Back to the Grind....

Today was the beginning of my last term in teaching.....

(and - I'm afraid to say - I was in a filthy mood!)

The problem was very simple...

I'd had far too much fun on my holiday and was sulking -

not very mature!!!

 

Here are some more collages from my holiday scrapbook...

starting with Glastonbury Abbey, which I visited with my parents last week.

 

 

More images of Glastonbury, the Town and Tor.

(You can see my travelling companions at the top of this collage..

the local bear at the bottom of the page shared the rest of the town's 'hippy vibe')

 

Mum, Dad and I also went to Wells (left hand side of the this collage)

The cathedral is amazing and deserves a post all of it's own.

I also had a lovely morning on Saturday wandering round Croome Park with

my friends (and former teaching colleagues from Redditch in the 1990s).

Lastly there's a photo of Mark and youngest niece in the process of building

the new shed...

 

 

I wasn't mentally prepared for a 5-45 alarm call this morning.....

or any of the other 'silly school stuff' that plagued me today.

 

I've also been 'knocked out of kilter' by the fact that one of my friends

has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition.  He will have major

surgery in the next few weeks.  I know that heart surgery is fairly 'routine'

nowadays... but I will still be happier when we have reached the other side

of this particular episode.

 

12 weeks and 4 days....

Jx